What was the best part about using Uphance - Apparel Management Software?
Before subscribing to Stitchex, I faced many challenges in keeping the wholesale side of my small business organized. I was manually drafting production orders for my factory using spreadsheets, where typos could cause massive confusion.
As my business grew, my system of tracking became increasingly time-consuming and unruly, making it difficult to keep stay on top of sales orders and delivery timelines. It was inconvenient to keep records of contact information in a location separate from my orders and in more than one place, to keep special notes relating to custom orders, track sales rep commissions easily, and create order confirmations, proformas, invoices and receipts that looked professional and included images.
When I discovered Stitchex, I was skeptical about whether it would meet all my needs but, almost immediately, I found solutions to the issues I was having. Not only that, but things became more streamlined and coordinated than they ever were before. Each of my seasons can now be organized in one place that is easily searchable, in addition to being able to input inventory levels for all products. I can also search and maintain records for my customers, suppliers and manufacturers and you’ll notice right away that the platform is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive.
I especially love how systematic it is in terms of giving me my cost of goods each season versus sales, gross profit and margin percentage. The reports function for SKUs, products and seasons gives me valuable data to determine what directions to take with each subsequent season, so my collections become more refined from a sales perspective.
Most importantly, I could stay on top of invoicing and delivery deadlines at a glance, while juggling sampling and production. Creating customized linesheets for different buyers takes seconds rather than hours. A really nice feature is being able to attach documents to sales orders, so when my reps send me scanned order forms or handwritten orders from trade shows, I can append them to the sales order as a point of reference and for record-keeping.
Just as crucial, management is incredibly responsive to client inquiries and requests. I made a few suggestions that would help my business run more smoothly and each of them were promptly integrated into the platform.
This includes the ability to download linesheets without prices showing, which isn’t always necessary for all audiences, like prospective new manufacturers or buyers in countries that use a different currency; the capacity to combine products from different seasons into a single order, allowing me to compare sales statistics of products from different seasons; and the option of subscribing to a discounted annual subscription, rather than a monthly one.
What would you change about your experience with Uphance - Apparel Management Software?
To be honest, I haven't encountered any cons and I've been a subscriber for a few years now.
When I have found things that could be improved or enhanced, I make suggestions that would help my business run more smoothly and each of them have been promptly integrated into the platform.
This includes the ability to download linesheets without prices showing, which isn’t always necessary for all audiences, like prospective new manufacturers or buyers in countries that use a different currency; the capacity to combine products from different seasons into a single order, allowing me to compare sales statistics of products from different seasons; and the option of subscribing to a discounted annual subscription, rather than a monthly one.
On the extremely rare occasion where I’ve encountered a glitch or just had a question, the Stitchex team has responded to me the same day or has repaired the issue within 24 hours. There are also handy integrations like, for instance, WooCommerce, Shopify and Xero, which are time-savers that keep everything synced in terms of inventory management and bookkeeping.
I can’t see how I’d outgrow the platform since it tends to expand with my business and new features are being integrated all the time. Now that my wholesale buyers can log in on their own to view my linesheets for each season and place orders directly, that’s a real game-changer.
Overall Feedback
Stitchex provides a comprehensive and cost-effective platform for managing orders, scheduling production and tracking sales from season to season. I highly recommend it.